Prelude to the Dead
by Berserker216
Summary: You know those photos of minor or semi-important characters you see at the endings credits of the HOTD anime and manga volumes? Tells all of these guys' stories before the outbreak. Rated T for vulgar language and open mentions of sex and other adult themes. Story is much better then summary.
1. Prologue: Dead Prologue

**Author's Note:**

Technically, _this _story here was intended to be my first fanfic. I wrote several chapters of it before I got to write _Dead Scars_. I should have the next chapter to D.S. up soon. Until it's finished, I decided to upload this and the first actual chapter of this fic. This will feature the first meeting between Souichiro and Yuriko Takagi. Depending on what the response is, I'll post up more chapters.

Disclaimer: Highschool of the Dead is not mine. It belongs to Daisuke and Shouji Sato and Madhouse Studios (who created the anime).

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**Prelude to the Dead – Dead Prologue**

The wind was blowing atop the cliff overlooking the ocean as I stood there. Over my shoulder I held my giant cleaver knife and adjusted my shades with my wrist. And also, my spiky white hair blew to the side as the wind continued on its way…

Oh, my apologies! I haven't introduced myself yet have I? I go by the name Gojo Sakakibara. I'm not Japanese by blood, but I had my name changed to that at the age of 16 for _certain_ reasons. What I can tell you for now is that it had something to do with personal family issues. By the way, I have red eyes.

Anyways, I continued to watch over the sea as the wind blew onwards. It had been at least 6 years since the Shiningen (or Them as my friend, Takashi Komuro, and his group calls them) made their existence known to the world and began the Z Era. At least half of the humans in this world were dead, leaving only 3 billion out of 6 billion humans left among the living. On the brighter side, those remaining 3 billion had adapted to the zombie-infested world and had also learned more about them. For example, we learned that Komuro's father, Kabuto Komuro, had been the chief researcher on the project known as "Breath Halter" that started this chaotic era of the undead. However, the true leader who led the undead was a horrifying man by the name of Kikuga Majumi. He killed Kabuto for a power that would give him the power to control all of the Shiningen in the world. Now the battle had taken a drastic turn and had begun the dreaded and most expected start of WWIII. Despite what his father was involved in, the incident that not only left Kabuto dead, but his wife as well, left Takashi devastated.

"WHY? What was it that he didn't see in me? Why did that monster use dad and then killed my mom. HE KILLED HER!" Takashi screamed tearfully as his childhood friend Miyamoto embraced him. I was about to-

It was then that I realized that I was becoming overstressed by all that had happened in the last 7 years since I arrived in Japan. I needed a while to relax and clear my mind.

"Hey, Ryoyuki!" I called out to my friend. "Hold on to this for a while!" I than tossed my cleaver to him and he caught it.

"Oi, Gojo!" Ryoyuki shouted out to me. "What's going on? Want a smoke?" I gave him the look and he knew to leave me alone as he smirked contently and walked away. We've known each other long enough to read each other's thoughts without any communication. That's how close we were.

His name was Ryoyuki Imamura. I owe him my life when he saved me from the icy harbor that I shacked up in when I first arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun. More on that later, though. I crossed my legs and closed my eyes. Yes. This was how peace of mind was obtained.

It was then that I began to remember those days.

Days of peaceful moments during which I lived among the great friends I made at Fujimi Academy. Most of these people are no longer alive or have become members of the Shiningen hoard.

Now I will record of what occurred before what is now known as the Outbreak. Tales now gathered into a single file: Prelude to the Dead. A good number of these are from my personal experiences. At the same time, a lot of these are actually just stories I heard from other survivors of the Outbreak. But, enough of this prologue; these stories begin **now**.

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This story can be considered a prequel of Dead Scars. Hell, Gojo may star in a few chapters and those respective tales will be told from his perspective (a first person view). All others will be told from a third person perspective, got it? Read away!


	2. Chapter 1: Till Dead do we Part

**Prelude to the Dead – Till Dead Do We Part**

Based on a photo from the end of manga volume 4 and anime episode 12; which depicts Soichiro and Yuriko during their wedding.

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_(Wall Street, New York City, Manhattan; 1:02 PM)_

In the city that never sleeps there were people ducking in and out of alleys, getting into taxies only to get stuck in traffic, and plenty of gangs drifting around just looking for trouble. Down on Wall Street was a beautiful stock broker with purple hair tied in a mid-length ponytail. At one of the stock market stands she stood talking on her cell phone with one of her friends.

"I see. Well, tell him I'll get back as soon as I'm finished with Ms. Brooks, okay?"

"Alright, Yuriko. By the way, you gonna be able to make it to the party on the cruise?" This was said by her friend, Shelly Landers, on the other side of the phone. She was in a different area of Manhattan.

Yuriko thought about it, putting a finger to her lips. _I was planning on spending three more days in NY before leaving for Japan. Then again, I think I deserve to have fun once in a while._

"Yeah, I'll be there" She replied back.

"Awesome!" Shelly exclaimed. Then a moment of silence followed. Yuriko frowned in concern. It wasn't like Shelly to keep quiet like this. Usually she was free-spirited and a jokester, albeit a little outspoken and bad tempered at times.

This was in stark contrast to Yuriko Fushibi's calm and reserved personality; the woman was quite intelligent which aided her greatly the stock broker business and was also quite wealthy. Yuriko was always kind and considerate to her clients, regardless of their **own** personalities. She had also made a weapon out of her body by taking an executive self defense course to deal with the common trash that prowled the city streets.

"Um, Shelly?"

"Huh? Oh, right! I just remembered something I wanted to ask you:" Shelly suddenly piped up again, realizing her friend was waiting for her to continue.

Yuriko now wore a small smile. "Look Shelly, if this is about what happened with that mugger at the start of the month; I told you its fine. Besides, you know how good I am." She said that last statement with a coy giggle.

Shelly shook her head. "Don't remind me." Shelly had also had some training in combat and was quite adept at the skill, yet every time when she practiced with Yuriko she got her ass handed to her. "I was just thinking about how your search for a man is going."

The stock broker sighed and gave a sad smile, adjusting the phone from her right ear to the left. "I don't know." She shrugged. "There just doesn't seem to be any one who's my type in town."

"Well, what kind of man are you looking for, Yuriko?"

"Hmm…Well for starters he should be kind and have plenty of influence and resources. Not to mention it should be someone who knows how to make the best judgments in times of crisis and someone who can understand me and my resolve to do what is right!" She paused for a minute

"Wow, uh…" Shelly trailed off, not sure how to take her friend's idea of what her husband should be. Finally she found her voice again. "Yuriko, that kind of guy is probably…uh…how should I put this politely? Finding someone like that is probably only one in a million at best. Besides, how would you get him to show you that he loves you? You gonna go into online dating or something? That's usually the quickest way to find a boy."

Yuriko shook her head. "I don't think that would be wise. There are countless more stalkers out there online than even here in NY."

"Good point."

"Anyway, my decision still stands. No matter how many years it takes, I'll definitely find a man with great leadership and charisma!"

"Well good luck girlfriend! See ya on the cruise!"

"Goodbye." With that, Yuriko closed her phone and went to greet her newest client who had been patiently waiting for her to come out.

_(Cruise Ship; 11:28 PM, Two Weeks Later)_

On the ship there were many lavish pieces of art and furniture. A band was playing old songs from Beethoven's days, their leader being a middle aged man with shoulder-length brown hair. He wore a red high-collar shirt and over it was a green pinstripe suit. The shades he had on made him resemble Ozzy Osborne except that the sunglasses were visor-shaped instead of rounded.

His name was Markus Anderson.

"All right, then!" Anderson declared. "Now we shall give you the organ's version of _Ashita e no Prologue_ by Midori Karashima!" The band began to play the tune and the guests began dancing. Those that didn't talked among themselves. Apart from them stood a towering man with a stoic expression on his face; he wore a white suit with a red bowtie and matching white pants. This man was a rightwing politician and was also known as the Lord of Tokonosu. He was with his best friend and retainer who wore a grey shirt with matching pants. On the shirt were blue-green shoulder guards and elbow guards. Not to mention there were also the same colored knee guards and boots on the other man as well. They were sipping some liquor when a certain stock broker spotted them.

"Master Soichiro." The retainer spoke to his superior, noticing the troubled expression on his face. "Are the drinks not to your liking?"

"That's not it, Tetsutaro." Soichiro replied. "I just feel slightly out of place with this crowd. There are those here who are clean, yet I can also tell that a good number of these fellows are nothing but corrupt and conceited bastards."

"With all due respect, I don't think you should use such foul language in front of so many VIPs."

Soichiro gave his retainer, Tetsutaro Doi, a look. To anyone who had just met the rightwing, it would have been translated as an ominous look of reprimanding. Yet Tetsutaro could tell from knowing his friend for 3 years now that it was just his way of saying: "You're joking, right?"

Tetsutaro simply shrugged and smirked. "Well, I will agree with you on that." Soichiro chuckled slightly.

Yuriko decided that she had heard enough of the political gossip and walked away. Still she said to herself. "What a man." It wasn't sarcasm.

Suddenly she tripped on her dress. Luckily she was caught by someone before she hit earth.

"Oh, thank-" She stopped when she saw that her rescuer was the man she saw earlier. Yuriko stood up and recomposed herself, dusting off her dress. It was then that she noticed he had a small smile on his face.

"Are you alright, milady?" He asked; the smirk on his face unchanging.

Yuriko paused for a moment before blushing and then laughing at his joke. "I'm not important enough to be called that!"

"Really? Well, I disagree." He reached out his hand. "I'm Soichiro Takagi. Lord of Tokonosu."

Yuriko's shook Soichiro's hand. It felt firm, yet somehow there was a strong aura of conviction and promise surrounding the man. "Yuriko Fushibi, stock broker." She said as she introduced herself.

"Wall Street, then?" Soichiro raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Master?" Soichiro whirled around and Tetsutaro was there. "May I offer you some drinks?"

"Thank you." He took the beverages from his subordinate and the latter went over to talk with someone else.

Yuriko looked back at the departing man as she took the glass. "Is he a friend?'

"Indeed, his name is Tetsutaro Doi. He is one of my most loyal subordinates as well as my best friend."

"And you? How long have you been in politics?"

"Does it matter?"

Yuriko stared at him dumbfounded, a look which then turned to curiosity. There was a long moment of silence.

An even broader smile bore on Soichiro's face. Soon he let loose a boisterous laugh. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! You have quite the strong will I see! That's quite a good trait to have in New York! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

The stock broker snickered at his response holding her hand to her mouth so that none of the wine would escape. "Tell me, Miss Yuriko." Soichiro asked, taking a bow. "Would you care for a dance?" Yuriko's eyes widened. _Could this guy be…?_

Soichiro went up to the band and whispered something to them. He walked back to Yuriko at that moment. Just then, Anderson's voice came on the mike. "Hope you enjoyed that, ladies and gents! Up next we have a song specially requested by Don Soichiro Takagi of Tokonosu Prefecture! It's called _Color Me Dark_ by Maon Kurosaki!" The music began playing and the girl singing, Maon, had a beautiful voice. Yuriko watched and listened to her. The song had a lovely melody to it.

"Amazing. And she's still so young!"

"You know," She heard Soichiro's voice from behind her. "You and I aren't exactly over the hill yet either." With that, he swept Yuriko off her feet and into a compromising position. The woman smirked. "If this is an attempt at seduction, it's working damn well."

"Try me."

The two danced well after midnight. And during the dance, they had a serious talk about things to come in their future. As fate would have it…

_(Cruise Ship, 11:30 AM; The day following the party)_

"You may now kiss the bride." The ship's captain, John Shepard, proclaimed just before the newlyweds exchanged lips. "Till death do we part." These words were said by both bride and groom. Applause was heard soon afterwards while Tetsutaro and several others of his fellow bodyguards raised their swords in honor of their master's just recent marriage. A smile appeared on Tetsutaro's face. "Congratulations, Master Soichiro."

Soichiro held his new wife in his arms. He wore white like the other night except it was less fancy and had no tie. It was a buttoned white jacket with once again matching white pants. Yuriko wore a light green dress with white frills on the area covering her waist and bosom. She even had a frilly choker around her neck. She saw that some of her fellow New Yorkers were there, giving their blessings.

"Way to go, Yuriko!" This was Shelly, obviously. "But…don't you think that this marriage was a little too soon?"

"No way!"

"Well whatever! You'd better look after her well Soichiro or else!"

"Or else what?"

"I'll kick your ass!"

"Shelly!"

"AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Just then, a photographer whose name has been lost to time took a photograph of the Takagis. It depicted Soichiro Takagi standing beside his wife Yuriko with a hand placed on the chair she was sitting in at the time. The two newlyweds were smiling, content with themselves.

Years later, an older Soichiro walks up to a picture frame with the very same photograph in it. Reminiscing, he smiles to himself as he watches his 6 year old daughter Saya run outside with her friend, Ryu. All but content, the right-winger walks back to his desk to continue his duties.

_(End of Chapter 1)_

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Ryu, the friend playing with Saya at the end of the chapter is an OC that was created by fanfiction user Nariek Hyokame. You should check out his story: Highschool of the Dead: Ryuu's Story. It's been on a hiatus for a good while, and I don't know when he'll update again, but it's a good one so take a look at it.

Shelly may or may not be a reference to Yuriko's English VA, Shelly Calene-Black. The name just popped up to me when I thought about names for characters in the fic. Ashita e no Prologue by Midori Karashima is the ending theme to a late-80s anime called Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma. It's a OVA that only lasted two episodes, but I think it's still alright enough, so be sure to give it a try. Finally, Maon Kurosaki (no relation to a certain orange-haired Shinigami) is the singer who sings the ending themes to the anime. Her music might make future cameos in this story, so keep your eyes peeled. Till next chapter.


	3. Chapter 2: All Night Dead

**Prelude to the Dead – All Night Dead**

The next chapter of PTTD is up! I'll be taking requests for any stories you have. It will take time, however, so be patient as I develop more parts of the story.

Disclaimer: Ryu Busujima is not mine. Like I said in the last chapter, he is the property of Nariek Hyokame so if you want to see more of him, read Highschool of the Dead: Ryuu's Story.

This story is based on a photograph of Matsudo, a young Saya, and an annoyed-looking retainer seen at the end of volume 4 of the manga.

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_(Takagi Estate, Western Tokonosu, Japan, 2:00 PM)_

The sun shone brightly in the sky above the home of Soichiro Takagi. 8 years had passed since his marriage to Yuriko Fushibi, now Yuriko Takagi, and 7 years ago Yuriko had got pregnant with their child. They named the baby girl Saya, after the scabbard of a katana, something that her father used as his weapon of choice. The said girl was now 6 years old and playing tag with her friend whom she had known since the age of 3. His name was Ryu Busujima. And at the moment he was on the run.

_Gotta keep running! Can't let her get me! _These were his thoughts as he ran towards a tree near the edge of the courtyard's wall. He looked around, doing a double take every few moments. _Coast's clear._ "Alright, time to-"

"Gotcha!" A young girl exclaimed. She jumped on Ryu and tackled him to the ground.

"Ow, dammit!" Ryu exclaimed. Even as a child he had quite a dirty mouth. "Saya-chan, that hurt!"

Saya gave an arrogant smirk. "Heh. You've got to use better tactics to get away from a genius!"

"Shut up, bakasagi (stupid rabbit)!"

The pink haired girl fumed while her twin ponytails rose up. "SAAAAGIIII (RAAAABBIIIIIIT)? Uwaaaah! You know I hate it when you call me that!"

"Come on! Just let me up!"

An amused look soon spread across her face.

"S-Saya-chan?"

"Tag!"

"What? Hey, get back here!" Ryu started chasing her again. She stuck her tongue out and pulled on her eye bag before she turned and ran again. Neither of the children realized they were being watched by a young mechanic. He was 26 years of age and had on a light blue vest with a shirt pocket on each side. Beneath the jacket the man wore a red orange shit with the English word "Max" printed on it. He also wore light blue jeans; his name was Gohei Matsudo.

Wiping the sweat off of his brow, Matsudo, or Maddo, as Saya referred to him, watched as the girl taunted Ryu as he determinedly tried to grab at her ponytails. He smiled seeing her having fun, having known the girl since she was born about a few months into his employment under the Takagis. Usually because her parents were away attending to certain affairs, Saya would spend most of her time playing with Ryu or Matsudo when the former wasn't available to for a play date.

It was then that Matsudo noticed a black car pull up. Out of the car came a purple haired man with blue eyes. He wore a royal purple suit and pants with a bright green tie and a long white-sleeved shirt underneath. His stern expression made even Soichiro's seem warm and gentle in comparison. He had come to pick up his son.

_Aw, fuck. The fun sucker had to show up when things were getting good!_ Matsudo sighed in disappointment as the man known as Zabuza Busujima walked onto the property. "Ryu Busujma!" He called in a stern tone which once again put Soichiro's own to shame. Ryu stopped pursuing Saya and turned to his father without hesitation. The look in his eyes was far from pleasant. "It is time for your training! You are to return with me immediately!"

Ryu sweated as he hung his head in disappointment and made his way to Zabuza's car. After he got in, the man fixated his constantly furious eyes to Matsudo. "Has Soichiro-kun been honing his skills since my training?"

The mechanic shrugged. "Dunno. I haven't really talked much with the boss lately. Yoshioka's the one you'll probably wanna speak to about that."

"And not Doi?"

"Tetsutaro's with Yuriko-sama on a trip to the states visiting her family. Boss is out discussing politics with Senator Shido and won't be back until late tonight." He said in a jovial tone. "I'd say the schedule's pretty full, eh?"

Zabuza did not flinch at Matsudo's joke. Instead he merely replied: "Indeed. In any event, be sure to tell Soichiro-kun to keep those pupils of his in check. Do you understand?" He gestured to the young men training near the fountain located close to the entrance. "Yeah, I'll tell him."

"I shall take my leave now." With that, the head of the Busujima family turned back to his car and drove off. Matsudo sighed once again and shook his head. _Jeez! That guy's even more impossible to read than boss!_ He glanced over to see Saya coming over to him. The look on her face was far from happy. "What's wrong?"

Saya crossed her arms and turned away. She made a pouty face. "It's no fun when Ryu-kun's papa comes to pick him up. He always seems like he's angry all the time." Matsudo smiled sadly and placed a gentle hand on her head. The girl had a bond with the mechanic not unlike that of a niece and her uncle. "Well, Ryu's daddy loves him and his sister, it's just…he has a unique way of showing it that's all." Saya's depressed look didn't change. Just then, Matsudo remembered something important he wanted to give the little Takagi. "Hey, I think I've got something that'll cheer ya up!"

"You do?"

"Yep! Hold on, I'll go get it!"

Matsudo walked away into the garage. He spent about 10 minutes searching until he found what he was looking for. It was a toy car that came with a remote control. The car's color scheme was black and had a long antennae coming out of the back with the engine stationed at the front. Matsudo came back to Saya and sat the car on the ground. "Huh? A car?" She asked. Matsudo closed his eyes and smirked. "Not really. Just something I picked up for you." "Thanks Maddo, but you-huh?" She trailed off as soon as her mechanic hit the "on" switch and the toy started making rev noises. Saya's eyes lit up. "Wow! That sounds awesome! But how are you supposed to drive it?" "Like this." Matsudo moved the joystick and the car began to move around, very similar to the life sized version.

Saya was astounded. Who knew that such a tiny car could be driven without someone getting into it directly? In fact, it reminded her of a show that Matsudo had shown her on television several times. "Knight Rider! Knight Rider!" She chanted over and over as the car began to spin in circles. Matsudo couldn't help but snicker at this. Of course, the vehicle in the series _Knight Rider_ was considerably different looking then the car he was currently driving. There was no need to tell her that though. He was just glad that she had snapped out of her funk.

"Oi, Gohei!" A new voice said. The former turned around to see one of his closest friends at the estate. The man's name was Okisuke Tsukishima; and his expression clearly showed that he was not happy.

"What did Takagi-shisho say about showing Saya-sama those kinds of things?" He sternly asked.

Saya turned to the retainer and fumed. "Tsuki-san, quit being so mean! Maddo was just giving me a present, that's all!"

It was then that Okisuke's expression softened and gave a deep bow. "I-I apologize for my impertinence, Saya-sama!" He stated with his eyes closed. At that moment, Saya's expression also changed from annoyed to cheerful in instant. "It's okay. Cars aren't my favorite thing, but they are still pretty fun to watch!"

Matsudo grinned at this and shut off the toy. "Well then, guess I'll go put this in your room, Saya-sama?"

"Yep! Thanks again, Maddo!" The mechanic gave her thumbs up before he went inside. As he went up he thought: _We are truly blessed to serve someone so kind. I hope she'll become as great as her parents someday._ He deposited the toy on a drawer in Saya's room and went on home through the back entrance. _Time to go meet her._

_(End of Chapter 2)_

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Matsudo's last thought in the story refers to a girl whom he loves and whom he mentioned during Team Takashi's escape from the Takagi Estate. In Nariek Hyokame's story, Ryu comments that he last saw Saya when they were seven so this happens a year prior to that.

The title of this chapter: All Night Dead, is a reference to a certain American song (like none of you don't already know what it is). Saya is seen shouting "Night Rider!" in the picture that this chapter was based on, so I integrated it into the chapter. The name of Saeko's father still hasn't been revealed, so I thought Zabuza would be fitting for him. Though N. Hyo's story makes it sound like he's a cruel man who favored Saeko over Ryu, a few chapters later you'll begin to see another side of him. Look forward to it.

This will be the last update until August. I'll be heading out of town for a good while and won't be back till August 1st. Until then, like I said before, make a request for what photo you want me to make a story of and I'll see what I can do. Goodbye!


End file.
